Pop-up ads are adored by marketers and despised by surfers.
WebCrawler and iVillage have sworn off them. AOL has decided to
limit them. Google has refused to use them in the first place.
Pop-Up Stopper software is one of the most popular program
downloads on the Net. Despite the high-profile defections from the
ad form, don't expect a slowdown in intrusive Internet
advertising from companies like X10 anytime soon.

Trimming pop-up ads from your Web site may be a smart customer
relations move. Many Internet users will simply avoid Web pages
that spawn too many ads. Customer concerns were a large motivation
for the once pop-up-heavy AOL to drastically limit its pop-up diet.
EarthLink has even worked a pop-up killer into its Internet
connection software.

There are some compromise approaches that can still take
advantage of the occasional pop-up without overly irking potential
customers. Many sites use pop-ups only to advertise select special
offers or surveys specifically related to the site.

It's also possible to simply limit the number of pop-ups any
one surfer encounters while at your site. Pop-unders, pop-ups'
slightly less-intrusive cousin, are increasingly common.
Regardless, you need to weigh the advertising revenue or
effectiveness of pop-ups against surfer discontent. Perhaps a
pop-up survey of your site visitors will help you learn how they
really feel about it.

Just a Minute

Masses of mobile minutes and free long-distance are the bane of
traditional long-distance calling plans. More callers are
neglecting their landline phones in favor of using their cellular
time.

The way phone companies are reacting to this trend could change
the look of your bills. Pay-per-minute is the first casualty in the
battle for customers' calls.

AT&T, MCI and many smaller carriers have rolled out some
form of unlimited long-distance plans that let you dial 'til
you drop for one monthly fee. These first steps are aimed mostly at
consumers, but businesses will see the same price structures become
widely available.

Some independent carriers are already dangling this carrot in
front of business customers. Remember, unlimited plans are logical
only if you make a high volume of calls. LowerMyBills.com and
SmartPrice.com can direct you to available options.